McComsey, 32, and Daniel Wilcox, who owned the house that McComsey and Palmer planned to move into, were in the basement that morning to investigate the propane smell. McComsey asked Wilcox to look at a woodworking project he was doing, but Wilcox, whose daughter was upstairs, was alarmed and told McComsey they needed to get everyone out.

The next few minutes were critical. The younger people upstairs, including some who were playing a video game, were slow to react, according to attorneys for McComsey and Wilcox.

The men exited the house and McComsey went to a window to say something to Palmer, his attorney said. Seconds later, as McComsey stood near a doorway, witnesses said the explosion rocked the neighborhood and sent debris and bodies flying as the home lifted off its foundation and shattered to pieces.

Wilcox’s daughter, Chelsey, had grabbed the infant, who was in a carseat, but was blown off her feet and the baby was fatally injured. The infant’s mother, Brianna Berg, 18, was standing in the driveway and suffered gashes to her head and leg from flying debris.

…

It’s unclear why Aiken has zeroed in on McComsey, a former Montgomery County resident who records show has minor arrests in the past for offenses ranging from marijuana possession to endangering the welfare of a child — a charge that stemmed from a 2005 domestic incident in Amsterdam in front of his children from a prior relationship.

People interviewed in the case said Aiken appears to be focusing on multiple motives, including McComsey’s dissatisfaction with the landlord.

…

“So why would he blow everybody else up including children?” Wein said of McComsey. “Every crime has to have a motive (but) what could possibly have been this guy’s motive to do anything criminal?”